For readers who love to travel—especially those of us in the points-and-miles world—international trips are hard to avoid. (Redeeming points for business or first class is not only one of the best ways to maximize point value, but also a moment to show off demonstrate one’s taste in life.) However, because we hold PRC passports, international travel can come with many restrictions. Here, chanye has done his best to summarize some common questions for everyone’s reference.
Disclaimer: This article does not constitute legal advice and is provided for reference only. The author assumes no legal responsibility for readers’ losses caused by any errors in this article. Please verify the specific applicable regulations yourself.
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About Automatic Visa Revalidation (AVR)
This program mainly applies to people holding certain nonimmigrant visas (F/J/M) who leave the United States to visit Canada, Mexico, or certain Caribbean island nations. If you return within 30 days of leaving the U.S., you may re-enter the United States with a valid I94 record even if your visa stamp has already expired.
For details, see the U.S. Department of State website and the Wikipedia entry on AVR.
Of course, this program also has limitations, including the following:
- You must maintain valid U.S. status (for F status, a valid I20; for J status, a valid DS-2019; for M status, I-129)
- Your trip outside the U.S. must be 30 days or less
- For M visa holders, during the trip you must not travel to any country other than Canada or Mexico; for F/J visa holders, during the trip you must not travel to any country other than Canada, Mexico, and certain Caribbean island nations (excluding Cuba)
- You must not apply for a new visa while outside the United States
- You must not be a citizen of Cuba (uncertain), North Korea (uncertain), Iran, Syria, or Sudan; see the U.S. Department of State list of state sponsors of terrorism
Note: Caribbean island nations include the following (bold indicates visa-free access for holders of ordinary Chinese passports):
- Saint Pierre
- Miquelon
- Cuba
- The Dominican Republic
- Haiti
- Bermuda
- The Bahamas
- Barbados
- Jamaica
- The Windward and Leeward Islands（Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, etc.）
- Trinidad
- Martinique
- Other British, French, and Netherlands territory or possessions in or bordering on the Caribbean Sea
Note 2: Based on the restrictions above, if you renew an F/J/M visa in Canada, Mexico, or a Caribbean island nation, you will lose the ability to use this program to return to the United States. So if you are considering renewing your U.S. visa in one of those places, think carefully. Of course, if the consular officer is fairly nice and your renewal application is not approved on the spot (pending), but your previous visa is not stamped VOID and your passport is returned to you, then you may still be able to use this program to re-enter the U.S. But this is very YMMV, so anyone planning a renewal—especially those in sensitive fields—should pay close attention.
About entering a country during transit
Transit in Canada
For travel between China and the United States with a connection in Canada, Chinese passport holders who are not U.S. or Canadian permanent residents generally need a visa.
But there are exceptions; see the Canadian government page for the China Transit Program.
Chinese citizens who want to use this visa-free transit program must meet the following conditions:
- Hold a valid Chinese passport
- Hold a valid U.S. visa
- Arrive in Canada on an airline approved by Canada (the list may change at any time, so refer to the official page):
- Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge, Air China, WestJet, Cathay Pacific, China Southern, Philippines Airlines, Jazz Air, Sky Regional Airlines Inc., Air Georgian, and Hainan Airlines
- Transit through Vancouver International Airport (YVR), Calgary International Airport (YYC), or Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) Terminal 1
- For passengers traveling to the United States, you must hold a valid ticket departing Canada on the same day on a non-stop flight to the U.S. (no overnight stay), and the immediate previous point before arriving in Canada must be one of the following 13 cities:
- Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Manila, Taipei, Tokyo, Seoul, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Chengdu, Shenyang, Harbin
- For passengers arriving from the United States, you must hold a valid ticket departing Canada on the same day (no overnight stay), and you must not be under a removal order or have overstayed in the United States.
Note: One important point is that Canada’s approved airline list does not include the big three U.S. carriers (AA, UA, Delta), nor does it include China Eastern (MU) or Sichuan Airlines (3U). So if you want to use this program to transit visa-free in Canada, pay close attention to the airline operating your ticket.
Transit in Japan
Generally speaking, transiting in Japan is visa-free.
However, one thing to note is that Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT) is not a 24-hour airport. So if you have an overnight connecting itinerary at Narita, a visa is required.
Generally, if you need to stay overnight at Narita, you can apply for a 72-hour temporary landing permission (shore pass). If approved, you may move about within Narita Prefecture. Of course, shore pass issuance has become stricter recently, so approval is not guaranteed. If it is not approved, you may end up stuck in the holding area. Another possibility is that the airline may simply refuse to let you board your flight to Narita.
Also, if your transit involves changing airports (Narita/Haneda), then a visa is naturally required.
Also 2: You can also apply for a shore pass at Haneda and Osaka airports, but since both airports operate 24 hours a day, there is no need to leave the airport just to stay overnight. For that same reason, shore pass issuance at these two airports is said to be relatively more lenient.
Also 3: Applying for a Japanese visa in the United States is not particularly complicated. Back in 2016, chanye applied for a short-term Japanese tourist visa and stayed in Japan for 5 days. Japanese visas cannot be applied for online; depending on your residential address and the policy of the relevant consulate, you must either appear in person or submit the application directly. chanye submitted his application through the Houston consulate, and the passport was mailed back in about two weeks, which was pretty efficient.
Transit in South Korea
Generally speaking, transiting in South Korea is naturally visa-free.
If you want to leave the airport and look around, then of course you need a visa. If you hold a visa for the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or the Schengen Area, or permanent resident status in one of those places, and you depart Korea on a direct flight to one of those countries/regions, then you may stay in Korea for up to 30 days.
Transit in Taiwan
If your itinerary includes a flight segment from Mainland China directly to Taiwan, and you are only transiting in Taiwan onward to a third destination, then you need a Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents? No—here the source says you need a 大通证 plus your passport (except for departures from Nanchang, Chongqing, and Kunming); people holding permanent resident status at the final destination are exempt. In all other situations, only a passport is required.
The reason is that the requirement for this travel document is a unilateral policy on the Mainland side governing whether you are allowed to depart. So only when you must pass through exit border inspection, and the destination shown on that flight segment is Taiwan, do you need this travel document in order to depart smoothly.
Transit in Hong Kong
If you travel from Mainland China via Hong Kong to a third destination, you only need your passport plus your ticket. Likewise, when returning to Mainland China from a third destination via Hong Kong, you also only need your passport. The same applies if entering Hong Kong by land.
About renewing a U.S. visa in a third country (such as Canada or Mexico)
This was already discussed earlier in the AVR section, but it is worth repeating here.
If you apply for a visa renewal in a third country, then you automatically lose the ability to use AVR to return to the United States.
As for entering Mexico, if you are renewing your visa at a U.S. consulate located in a city along the U.S.-Mexico border, then entering Mexico by land does not require a visa.
For Canada, however, a Canadian visa is required regardless.
About traveling to Cuba
As mentioned earlier in the AVR section, if an F/J visa holder travels to Cuba, then they automatically lose the ability to use AVR to return to the United States.
For Cuba, the best approach at present is still to transit through a third country, because traveling directly from the United States to Cuba still requires applying for a license. For details, see the relevant Southwest Airlines page.
About traveling to the U.S.-Mexico border region
Because of the well-known but inconvenient to describe issue of undocumented immigrants, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has set up checkpoints on basically all roads leading inland on the U.S. side of the U.S.-Mexico border region, where vehicles heading inland are inspected. Everyone in the vehicle may be required to show documents. For non-U.S. citizens and non-permanent residents, this includes valid immigration/status documents (such as I-20/DS-2019, I-94, etc.) as well as a passport. If you are not carrying them, you may end up detained in a holding room. The same applies at airports in border cities.
chanye was asked to show the relevant documents on the road from El Paso to White Sands, on the road from El Paso to Carlsbad Caverns, and at El Paso airport.
If you plan to visit the above areas, do your homework in advance so your trip is not disrupted.
The satellite photo of the checkpoint near White Sands looks like this (this location is already very close to the entrance to White Sands; note that if you are driving to White Sands from farther inland, you will not pass this checkpoint):
